Content of the article:
Ash is an absolutely affordable and highly effective phosphorus-potassium fertilizer containing a lot of materials necessary for development and growth.plant substances and trace elements. It does not need to buy, you do not need to use transport for transportation - such fertilizer can be made independently. The availability and benefits of ash are beyond doubt! Although it should be noted that the qualitative characteristics and the mass fraction of certain trace elements may vary depending on the raw materials used to produce the ashes.
Important! When using ash as a fertilizer, it should be remembered that when burning raw materials, nitrogen evaporates, and accordingly, its shortage must be compensated by any nitrogen-containing additives.
Average indicators of the main elements in the ash after burning:
Potassium
- Wood:
- coniferous - about 8%;
- deciduous - 14%;
- grape vine - 40%.
- Herb raw materials:
- straw - about 20%;
- potato tops - 40%;
- sunflower( stem, leaves and head) - 40%;
- dried grass( nettle, quinoa, sow thistle, etc.) - 30%.
- Buckwheat, sunflower husk - 35%.
- Peat - 10%.
- Batts - no more than 2%.
Phosphorus
- Wood:
- coniferous - 6%;
- deciduous - no more than 10%.
- Herb raw materials - 1%.
- Peat - 1%.
- Shale - 1.5%.
Calcium
- Wood - 45%.
- Herb raw materials - 10–20%.
- Peat - 20–50%.
- Shales - about 70%.
Important! In no case should ash be used as a fertilizer after burning: polymers, household garbage, rubber, colorful glossy magazines, colored paper and synthetic materials. When using such a “fertilizer”, you can forget about the harvest altogether - the earth will be poisoned for many years.
. Use of ash on different types of soil.
- . Agricultural technicians do not recommend using ash as a fertilizer on soils with high alkalinity. This is due to the chemical characteristics of the ash prepared from any raw material - it additionally alkalizes the soil, which can significantly impede the nutrition of plants.
- Loamy and clay soils - adding only 300–500 g / m² of ash, significantly improves the fertility and structure of the land. Even after a single fertilizer application, a positive effect can last up to 4 years.
- Sour soils - when wood ash is applied as fertilizer, a certain balance is created between the natural reaction of the earth( acidic) and the alkaline component( ash), which has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of plants. The exception is the crop, initially, preferring the acidic soil: potatoes, radishes, melons and some others, as a result of which it is necessary to fertilize these plants with ashes carefully, after weighing the possible benefits and the probable harm.
Ways to use ash as fertilizer
In practice, ash as fertilizer is used in 3 ways:
- Dry scattering in tree trunks, under bushes, between rows of garden crops and in the holes before planting seedlings.
- Spraying or watering plants with a concentrated solution and / or infusion prepared from ordinary water and ash.
- Bookmark in the compost pile( 2 kg / m³).Subsequently, compost is used traditionally.
Practical advice to farmers
How to use ash as fertilizer?
How much ash is needed for a particular crop?
How to prepare a solution of ash for watering and spraying?
Familiar questions? Well, experienced gardeners and agronomists recommend:
Tip! The ashes diluted in water, during watering, must be constantly shaken slightly or stirred, in order to exclude its settling to the bottom.
- Before planting seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, you must add 5 dessert spoonfuls of ash to each well and mix it slightly with the ground or add it when digging at the rate of three 200-gram glasses per 1 m².
- Lawn grass - before sowing seeds, add a top-dressing to the selected area, 300 gr.per 1m².It is not recommended to sprinkle already germinated seeds.
- Fertilization with ashes of cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage during the growth period can be carried out with a pre-prepared solution: 100 g / 10 l( ash / water), after mixing the ingredients, the infusion is ready in 24 hours. Pour 500 ml of infusion under each plant or make longitudinal grooves and shed them evenly.
- For a good cabbage harvest, it is recommended to apply fertilizer repeatedly, and every 10-12 days. The procedure should be carried out during the entire growth period.
- For trees, it is useful to feed at least 1 time in 3 years:
- adults - 2 kg for each tree, bring it to the area of the circle of the trunk circle in its pure form;In dry weather, subsequent abundant watering is obligatory;
- seedlings - pour 1 kg of ash into the pit prepared for planting, where to mix it with the ground, then planting is carried out traditionally.
- Widely used fertilizer ash houseplants. To do this, the tool is poured into a flower pot( 1 tablespoon. Per 5 liters. Of the earth) or an infusion is prepared( 2 tablespoons. Per 6 liters. Of water), which is used for watering.
Tip! You can feed trees and rooted seedlings with infusion prepared from 1.5 kg of ash and 12 liters of water. The resulting composition, simply, uniformly poured around the plant, not further than 0.5 m from the trunk.